Siji Krishnan
Kalyanam 2017 Watercolour and charcoal on rice paper 28.5 x 35.25 in (72.1 x 89.7 cm)
Siji Krishnan (b. 1983, Mavelikkara, Kerala) was born and brought up in the countryside of southern India, and the vivid imagery of village life played an important role in the early years of her artistic career. As a child, she was more attached to her father than anyone else, and his presence, as well as absence, acted like a force that enabled her to shape her life as an artist. The images in her early works were inspired by her childhood, and mostly related to her father. But as she discovered new paths, she says, she "was transported from a very personal world to a collective one, as though a layer of memory was peeled off and a new one revealed." Her canvases became vaster and provided space for more inhabitants as she began to realise that it is essential to explore new territories and experiences in order to take her journey further. Krishnan's detailed paintings are characterised by their distinct texture, achieved by layering sheets of rice paper, and a muted, earthy palette. The fragility of the memories she portrays is underscored by the use of this delicate, fibrous surface. Krishnan has held solo exhibitions at Kashi Art Gallery in Kochi, Kerala, and Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, and her works were exhibited at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in 2012. The artist lives and works in Kochi.
courtesy of saffronart.com